Love The Enemy? Readers share 88 books like The Enemy...

By Davide Cali, Serge Bloch (illustrator),

Here are 88 books that The Enemy fans have personally recommended if you like The Enemy. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of What If Soldiers Fought with Pillows?: True Stories of Imagination and Courage

Anne Laurel Carter Author Of What the Kite Saw

From my list on picture books on war for young and old from playful to serious.

Why am I passionate about this?

After high school, I traveled, exploring cultures beyond North America. I worked on kibbutzim in Israel for nearly two years. During the Yom Kippur War, exploding bombs drove us into underground shelters until the ceasefire. That experience made me consider the impact of war in new ways. Decades later, I wrote about the issue of "conflict" in my country: the Acadian deportation and World War Two. As a school librarian meeting Palestinian families in 2002, I decided to research and visit families in the West Bank through Christian Peacemaker Teams for my novel The Shepherd’s Granddaughter. A story children told me there inspired my picture book What the Kite Saw.

Anne's book list on picture books on war for young and old from playful to serious

Anne Laurel Carter Why did Anne love this book?

I immediately loved the structure of this nonfiction book. Each page poses an intriguing question that ignited my imagination, like the titular “What If Soldiers Fought With Pillows?” followed by a true life–interesting–story of legendary people from around the world who addressed the problem.

Each well-chosen question and answer inspired me to believe that changing the world is possible. I also admire how Camlot chooses a diverse range of terrific examples, from heroic (a WW Two fighter pilot) to funny (Clowns Without Borders) and artistic (Picasso) to video-gaming (1979 Revolution: Black Friday).

By Heather Camlot, Serge Bloch (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked What If Soldiers Fought with Pillows? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

What if the impossible were actually possible? What if we turned our dreams into action? What if our imagination could help solve real-world crises, like war, famine, and human rights violations?

Through a series of seemingly whimsical questions, this middle-grade nonfiction book introduces readers to people and organizations that are subverting violence, war, and totalitarian power. What if soldiers refused to carry weapons? What if fighter pilots dropped seeds instead of bombs? What if music could be a creative force for democracy? None of these ideas are impossible―in fact, they are all true historical examples of ideas that have been…


Book cover of My Beautiful Birds

Anne Laurel Carter Author Of What the Kite Saw

From my list on picture books on war for young and old from playful to serious.

Why am I passionate about this?

After high school, I traveled, exploring cultures beyond North America. I worked on kibbutzim in Israel for nearly two years. During the Yom Kippur War, exploding bombs drove us into underground shelters until the ceasefire. That experience made me consider the impact of war in new ways. Decades later, I wrote about the issue of "conflict" in my country: the Acadian deportation and World War Two. As a school librarian meeting Palestinian families in 2002, I decided to research and visit families in the West Bank through Christian Peacemaker Teams for my novel The Shepherd’s Granddaughter. A story children told me there inspired my picture book What the Kite Saw.

Anne's book list on picture books on war for young and old from playful to serious

Anne Laurel Carter Why did Anne love this book?

The Syrian refugee crisis is the largest in the world, with over 12 million displaced people. As an elementary school librarian in a diverse city, I would have loved to read this book to every class. I appreciated that the story wasn’t violent yet managed to show what the boy and his family had to escape. I think any aged child from any background could care about this Syrian boy as I did.

Told in first person, the boy misses and worries about the pigeons he raised as his family flees their town (bombed in the distance). I was struck by the illustrator’s palette choice—realistic but respectful of a child’s sensibilities. Dark smoke and flames engulf the town, but the brightly-coloured family survives.

In the refugee camp, the boy’s father plants a life-sustaining, vibrant green garden. In time, the boy feeds and cares for the birds again. When a traumatized…

By Suzanne Del Rizzo,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked My Beautiful Birds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 6, 7, 8, and 9.

What is this book about?

A New York Times Notable Children's Books selection. The moving story of one boy's refugee experience in the Syrian Civil War and the birds who help him on the road to emotional healing

Behind Sami, the Syrian skyline is full of smoke. The boy follows his family and all his neighbours in a long line, as they trudge through the sands and hills to escape the bombs that have destroyed their homes. But all Sami can think of is his pet pigeons-will they escape too? When they reach a refugee camp and are safe at last, everyone settles into the…


Book cover of Draw the Line

Anne Laurel Carter Author Of What the Kite Saw

From my list on picture books on war for young and old from playful to serious.

Why am I passionate about this?

After high school, I traveled, exploring cultures beyond North America. I worked on kibbutzim in Israel for nearly two years. During the Yom Kippur War, exploding bombs drove us into underground shelters until the ceasefire. That experience made me consider the impact of war in new ways. Decades later, I wrote about the issue of "conflict" in my country: the Acadian deportation and World War Two. As a school librarian meeting Palestinian families in 2002, I decided to research and visit families in the West Bank through Christian Peacemaker Teams for my novel The Shepherd’s Granddaughter. A story children told me there inspired my picture book What the Kite Saw.

Anne's book list on picture books on war for young and old from playful to serious

Anne Laurel Carter Why did Anne love this book?

This author-illustrator has a gift for creating a high-concept, wordless story that young children can follow and enjoy in bold, simple images. I love how Otoshi chooses physical play to show the development and resolution of "conflict" at a child’s level. Not so easy to do!

The story begins with two boys separately drawing lines. When they bump into each other, they don’t turn angry. They play together. What fun when the lines come to life and become one long rope!

Then, one boy gets tangled and falls, and the other laughs at him. Anger builds, and the rope magically morphs into a bad, ugly space between them that grows until one boy starts to colour on the space. The other joins him. They laugh at how messy they look before running down the wonderful road they just created. 

By Kathryn Otoshi,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Draw the Line as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Draw the Line is a powerful picture book about forgiveness from Kathryn Otoshi, author of the bestselling book One.

When two boys draw their own lines and realize they can connect them together-magic happens!

But a misstep causes their lines to get crossed.

Push! Pull! Tug! Yank!
Soon their line unravels into an angry tug-of-war.

With a growing rift between them, will the boys ever find a way to come together again?

Acclaimed author/illustrator Kathryn Otoshi uses black and white illustrations with thoughtful splashes of color to create a powerful, multi-layered statement about friendship, boundaries, and healing after conflict.

A…


Book cover of The Wall in the Middle of the Book

Anne Laurel Carter Author Of What the Kite Saw

From my list on picture books on war for young and old from playful to serious.

Why am I passionate about this?

After high school, I traveled, exploring cultures beyond North America. I worked on kibbutzim in Israel for nearly two years. During the Yom Kippur War, exploding bombs drove us into underground shelters until the ceasefire. That experience made me consider the impact of war in new ways. Decades later, I wrote about the issue of "conflict" in my country: the Acadian deportation and World War Two. As a school librarian meeting Palestinian families in 2002, I decided to research and visit families in the West Bank through Christian Peacemaker Teams for my novel The Shepherd’s Granddaughter. A story children told me there inspired my picture book What the Kite Saw.

Anne's book list on picture books on war for young and old from playful to serious

Anne Laurel Carter Why did Anne love this book?

I love the hilarious, creative approach of this book.

In a conflict like war, one side usually believes something about the other side that is inaccurate for one reason or another. In this story, we don’t know why the little person on the left side believes the wall in the middle protects him from dangerous creatures on the right side. The wall is so tall he can’t see them. But he also doesn’t see the danger behind him on his side.

The ogre on the right side, whom he believes will eat him, actually saves him from danger and plucks him to safety. In the end, we love that he will now explore and enjoy playing with the creatures on the right side.

By Jon Agee,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Wall in the Middle of the Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Sunday Times Culture Magazine Book of the Week;There's a wall in the middle of the book, and our hero-a young knight-is sure that the wall protects his side of the book from the dangers of the other side-like an angry tiger and giant rhino, and worst of all, an ogre who would gobble him up in a second! But our knight doesn't seem to notice the crocodile and growing sea of water that are emerging on his side. When he's almost over his head and calling for help, who will come to his rescue? An individual who isn't as dangerous…


Book cover of The Lost Peace: How the West Failed to Prevent a Second Cold War

Zeno Leoni Author Of A New Cold War

From my list on US-China competition in a changing international order.

Why am I passionate about this?

In the early days of my PhD degree at King’s College London, my research focused very much on developing a Marxist theory of International Relations. From this, I have learned invaluable knowledge that informs my post-PhD writings. These focus more on the study of US-China relations in the context of a changing world order. I have always been passionate about these subjects in so far as they allow me to make sense of the big picture. 

Zeno's book list on US-China competition in a changing international order

Zeno Leoni Why did Zeno love this book?

There is a consensus among Western elites that the post-Cold War order is over and that a new order is emerging. Richard Sakwa’s book, with an intellectually rich yet accessible writing style, helps readers understand how, in only three decades–nothing in the whole history of the world and a short time from an international order perspective–we have moved from the announcement of the end of history and a new world order to the unraveling of it.

Sakwa argues that the years following the end of the Cold War did not represent a lasting accord between great powers and that the causes of these have to be found in the underlining intolerance of the West’s ideology of “democratic internationalism.”

This meant that after the Cold War there simply was a tactical pause that eventually ushered in the ‘Second Cold War’ we currently find ourselves in. Sakwa wrote a courageous account of…

By Richard Sakwa,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Lost Peace as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The end of the Cold War was an opportunity-our inability to seize it has led to today's renewed era of great power competition

"An eloquent and persuasive argument about how the world squandered the promise of the end of the Cold War."-Maria Lipman, Foreign Affairs

The year 1989 heralded a unique prospect for an enduring global peace as harsh ideological divisions and conflicts began to be resolved. Now, three decades on, that peace has been lost. With war in Ukraine and increasing tensions between China, Russia, and the West, great power politics once again dominates the world stage. But could…


Book cover of Stiger's Tigers

Robert J. Ristino Author Of The Barbarian Princess

From my list on Roman legions and the barbarians they fought.

Why am I passionate about this?

While I hold a Ph.D. in mass communication, my second love has always been history, especially Roman history. Perhaps it is because I’m of Italian heritage. In fact, my grandfather’s hometown, Chiusano di San Domenico, is the site of an early Roman conquest when the Latin states were developing into a power in central Italy. I genuinely admire the Roman genius in engineering, military, political, and social organization. I have traveled extensively throughout Europe and have visited many Roman historical sites in Italy, France, Hungary, and Great Britain. The Romans continue to fascinate me and always will.

Robert's book list on Roman legions and the barbarians they fought

Robert J. Ristino Why did Robert love this book?

If I didn't know better, I would think the author was on hallucinogens when he began this series. It is a real hoot! While it follows the adventures of a Centurion, Ben Stiger, in a strange and bizarre world, it veers off into mysticism, magic, fantasy, witchcraft, the supernatural, and just about any other genre you care to name. Stiger is a brave, resourceful, and brilliant leader who has been given command of a company of misfits.

He must hone them into a first-rate combat unit as he attempts to quell a rebellion threatening the existence of the Empire he loves and serves. He journeys through another dimension of space and time with his two companions, an elf and a priest. Weird and engrossing. It is a book you'll pick up and not put down.

By Marc Alan Edelheit, Gianpiero Mangialardi (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Stiger's Tigers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A tarnished legacy. A dangerous mission. The beginning of an epic destiny…

Nobleman and born soldier Ben Stiger never backs down from a fight. Even as the son of an infamous imperial general, an outcast from society, he refuses to crumble under the unforgiving shadow of his once-powerful family’s disgrace. When he’s reassigned from his crack company to the struggling southern army, he’s eager to help turn the tide against a growing, deadly rebellion.

Supported by his faithful lieutenant, Eli, one of the last remaining elven rangers, and a holy Paladin on a quest for the High Father, Stiger fights…


Book cover of To the End of the Land

Raphael Cohen-Almagor Author Of Israeli Institutions at the Crossroads

From my list on Israel studies.

Why am I passionate about this?

Raphael Cohen-Almagor, DPhil, St. Catherine’s College, University of Oxford, is Professor of Politics, Founding Director of the Middle East Study Centre, University of Hull; Global Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and Vice President of The Association for Israel Studies. Raphael taught, inter alia, at Oxford (UK), Jerusalem, Haifa (Israel), UCLA, Johns Hopkins (USA), and Nirma University (India). He was twice a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and Distinguished Visiting Professor, Faculty of Laws, University College London. Raphael Has published extensively about Israel, including Basic Issues in Israeli Democracy (Hebrew), Israeli Democracy at the Crossroads, and Public Responsibility in Israel (with Ori Arbel-Ganz and Asa Kasher Hebrew).

Raphael's book list on Israel studies

Raphael Cohen-Almagor Why did Raphael love this book?

Grossman has a way with words. There are not many people who master Hebrew as he does. His ability to express ideas, thoughts, sentiments, characters, the inner human streams that run in our hearts and minds is admirable. Grossman takes you by the hand, slowly makes you immerse in the story, your soul intertwined with the pictures he paints, you become part of all that is happening to the heroes, all the twists and turns, the emotions, the turmoil, the storms, the fears, the hopes, the love. This book is about the love for the land of Israel and about the love of a mother to her child. There are similarities and differences between the two that Grossman delicately deciphers. I have never read such a characterization of a relationship between parents and children. It is deep. It is penetrating. It is true. It sweeps you off your feet.

A…

By David Grossman, Jessica Cohen (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked To the End of the Land as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A stunning novel that tells the powerful story of Ora, an Israli mother, and her extraordinary love for her son, Ofer, in a haunting meditation on war and family.

“One of the few novels that feel as though they have made a difference to the world.” —The New York Times Book Review

Just before his release from service in the Israeli army, Ora’s son Ofer is sent back to the front for a major offensive. In a fit of preemptive grief and magical thinking, so that no bad news can reach her, Ora sets out on an…


Book cover of Gears of War: Coalition's End

Dee J. Holmes Author Of Three Days In Undead Shoes

From my list on flipping the zombie apocalypse script.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a Canadian author who thought too much about death as a child. But I was also a happy little goblin who grew up watching Disney fairytales and Transformers cartoons—all of which shine in my blend of twisting horror meeting tales of love and friendship. My degree in History helps me add depth and a political thriller edge. Bands of brothers, found family, and loyal hounds round out my books. I adore being scared, but I also want my characters to find happiness. So I’ll put you on the edge of your seat and have you jumping at the next twist—but don’t worry, the dog always lives.

Dee's book list on flipping the zombie apocalypse script

Dee J. Holmes Why did Dee love this book?

I’ve loved the Gears of War games from the first and have been fascinated by what I consider their unusual take on zombies: the glowing, mutating Lambent. When I discovered there was an accompanying book series, I was ecstatic. I did not expect to find myself in such well-crafted, compelling stories that I’d fall even more in love with the world and its main characters.

The teamwork and brotherhood of Marcus, Dom, and the rest have always been the heart of Gears for me. I love knowing that they'll always stand together no matter what is thrown at them (and wow, is there a lot!). The world is a fascinating blend of the familiar and the fantastical, and the combat sequences are *chef’s kiss* I do love me some explosions. The Lambent attack allies and foes, turning battlefields into chaos and forcing desperate choices. The stakes are juicy, and the…

By Karen Traviss,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Gears of War as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Understand what a world had to do to survive.

When the Locust Horde burst from the ground fifteen years ago to slaughter the human population of Sera, mankind began a desperate war against extinction. Now after a decade and a half of bloody fighting, and with billions dead, the survivors—the Gears of the Coalition of Ordered Governments, along with a small band of civilians—have been forced to destroy their own cities and sacrifice their entire civilization to halt the Locust advance.

The last-ditch measures have succeeded, but at an enormous cost: the survivors have been reduced to a handful of…


Book cover of Tier One Wild

Jeffrey Engle Author Of All the War They Want: Special Operations Techniques for Winning in Cyber Warfare, Business, and Life

From my list on introducing military tactics into your leadership.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a veteran of the United States Army Special Operations Command, my time in the army will always guide my actions. When I began my career in cybersecurity and later took on the role of President and Chair of Conquest Cyber, I looked to my military experience for guidance. The lessons I learned from leaders were much like those I’ve learned through these books, and they are lessons that will benefit any leader, business owner, or founder. 

Jeffrey's book list on introducing military tactics into your leadership

Jeffrey Engle Why did Jeffrey love this book?

Even corporate America needs heroes. While Tier One Wild is fiction, it was written by a true hero, Dalton Fury. Fury was the senior ranking officer in the Battle of Tora Bora. He helped author the operation to hunt and kill bin Laden. 

This book, the second in the Raynor series, has the flair of someone who has been there as Fury has been. Its fast moving and includes elements of both redemption and sacrifice. While this would be easy to dismiss as fiction or another war story, readers will be surprised by how applicable the lessons can be in the business world.  

By Dalton Fury,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Tier One Wild as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

New York Times bestselling author and former Delta Force commander Dalton Fury (Black Site and Kill Bin Laden) is back with an explosive new thriller

Former disgraced Delta Force commander Kolt "Racer" Raynor has earned his way back into The Unit after redeeming himself during an explosive operation at a black site in Pakistan. But he is about to face his deadliest challenge yet.

The most wanted man in the world, American al Qaeda commander Daoud al Amriki, and his handpicked team of terrorist operatives, have acquired stores of Russian-built, shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles (SAM's) from ex-Libyan spies in Cairo. Their…


Book cover of Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War

Dennis L. Peterson Author Of Christ in Camp and Combat: Religious Work in the Confederate Armies

From my list on little-known aspects of the Confederate era.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an author, editor, and former history teacher and curriculum writer with a special interest in Southern history, particularly the Confederate era. I have written and published two books on lesser-known aspects of the Confederacy, the civilian government (Confederate Cabinet Departments and Secretaries), and religious work in the Confederate armies (Christ in Camp and Combat: Religious Work in the Confederate Armies). I taught on various levels, from junior high through college, and have B.S. and M.S. degrees with post-graduate work in Southern history and religion.

Dennis' book list on little-known aspects of the Confederate era

Dennis L. Peterson Why did Dennis love this book?

Although many (even most) historians relegate religion to the periphery of the history of the war, Nichols-Belt shows it to be a critical ingredient of that history. Moreover, although historians who admit the importance of religion to the South’s conduct of the war, most of them focus primarily on the armies in the East. Nichols-Belt shines a light on the just-as-important influence of religion in the armies of the Western theater, specifically the Army of Tennessee.

By Traci Nichols-Belt,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Onward Southern Soldiers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Civil War was trying, bloody and hard-fought combat for both sides. What was it, then, that sustained soldiers low on supplies and morale? For the Army of Tennessee, it was religion. Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War explores the significant impact of religion on every rank, from generals to chaplains to common soldiers. It took faith to endure overwhelming adversity. Religion united troops, informing both why and how they fought and providing the rationale for enduring great hardship for the Confederate cause. Using primary source material such as diaries, letters, journals and…


Book cover of What If Soldiers Fought with Pillows?: True Stories of Imagination and Courage
Book cover of My Beautiful Birds
Book cover of Draw the Line

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